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Phineas decides to move north of vag with 5/3/1

So, this is my first journal. I figured 5/3/1 would be a great program to start a journal with.

I decided to go this route because the last year I was dissappointed with my progress. I started out interested in bodybuilding when I first hit the gym two and a half years ago, but about a year ago began switching to strength training. I always put together very balanced programs and am always making muscle gains (likely because I have a much better grasp on how much and what to eat) but my strength would go up much more gradually. I'm decently strong, but I know I'm capable of much more.

I'll be following the Boring But Big version of 5/3/1. It will be a 3 day split, and I might add one GPP session somewhere in there. I also run 3x a week, but the distance is fairly short and I focus on speed so they don't interfere with my lifting at all. Here are the workouts:

Squats:

(1.) Squats: 5/3/1
(2.) Squats: 5 x 10 @ 50-60%
(3.) Planks: 5 x 1-2 mins (I do weighted, so I've given the time range so I can work up to 2 mins rather than having to keep adding more and more plates)

(1.) Military Press: 5/3/1
(2.) Bar Dips: 5 x 10 @ 50-60% (this is the only place I made a change..I know Wendler said don't do this, but I figured it's a similar movement, and this way I get some more frequency on chest stimulation, so it will assist my bench as well)
(3.) Chinups: 5 x 10

I don't take 1RMs, so here are my rep maxes I used to calculate my lifts for the first mesocycle (I'll be doing 5 mesocycles, taking me to early-July).

Squat: 275 lbs x 5
Bench: 225 lbs x 5
Deadlifts: 315 lbs x 5 (I was repping 290 last May, but went through form issues for months switching to sumo stance..it was worth it in the long run as it's easier on my back...I now have my form worked out)
Military: 140 lbs x 5

I think these are pretty reasonable goals given the timeframe. I've already done 3 workouts and am leaving the house for my fourth pretty soon so I'm going to post the last few immediately to get up to speed.

First workout went really well I thought. I made sure to not go to failure on the rep out. In fact, I felt like I could have squeezed out 2 more reps out and then fail on 13 but I wanted to just get a feel for how the set progress works before killing myself on them. Still very happy with how the set felt. The first two sets are perfectly weighted that by the time I get to rep out I'm good and warmed up and mentally pumped. Also, beat my goal reps.

Felt great on the rep out. Made the mistake of attempting a 10th rep, which I failed on half way up. Oh well.

Was surprised by how sore I was when I got to rows. I had to drop the weight quite a bit from usual. For 8 rep sets I usually work 90 to 100 lb DBs, so for 10 reps havin to go to 75 I was surprised but I didn't let ego make the call. I could have forced 90 lbs reps, but with how much they were taxing me I decided to keep it lighter as I don't want the assistance becoming any more than assistance. I figure also that it could be that I'm not use to the stress from the rep out sets. Maybe in a week or so I'll get used to that and can move my assistance weight to my normal weights.

Very happy with the rep out set today. Like my squat session I refrained from going too close to failure. I felt like I would have failed on rep 15, but I felt I would begin rounding my back on rep 13 so I stopped at 12. Still, I was good a woozy after that set. Felt fantastic, and beat my goal of 8 reps.

Once again, had to reduce my weight on split squats as my legs were raped by the time I got to them. When I was cutting in December I repped 170 for 12, so on a bulk I was surprised to see myself lower this much but again ego is no issue. Form was perfect and tempo was great.

First Military Press session of the program. Once again, I beat my personal rep goal so that was sweet. Delts needed a breather after the rep-out.

Bar Dips went very well, but fatigued the hell out of my triceps. I've done bar dips maybe 5 times in the last year or so? I imagine by the next millie session I'll be more used to these. I got all the reps in with the last rep of the last set being the only one where lockout was a slow dirge, but then I had to perform my chinups a little more fatigued that I had hoped. I could have forced the reps on the last two sets but I'm really trying to focus on assisting the main lifts and not interfering too much with recovery.

Also, for those of you interested in diet, here's a look at what I basically eat every training day....

I can't recall the calories or macros because I've made a few changes recently, but I do have it all entered on fitday. This is a training day, which now I think is about 3,900 calories, 175g fat (about 28 sat, 50 poly, 90 mono) 330g carbs, and 260g protein. Non-training days I reduce the pre-workout carbs by 1/2 and I don't eat the oats, so it drops the calories about 450.

Also recently stopped taking creatine and BCAAs. I figure I get plenty of BCAAs through meat, eggs, dairy, and whey, plus I'm not cutting anymore so it's not really necessary. $30-40/month I save. As for creatine well I never really noticed it did anything, and I got fucking sick of the stomach bloating.

Disclaimer: All health, fitness, diet, nutrition, anabolic steroid & supplement information posted here is intended for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended as a substitute for proper medical advice from a medical doctor. We do not condone the use of anabolic steroids (AAS), all information about AAS is for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you choose to use AAS it's your responsibility to know the laws of the country that you live in. Consult your physician or health care professional before performing any of the exercises, or following any diet, nutrition or supplement advice described on this website.

Thanks Gaz. I was inspired by your badass results with 5/3/1. I, too, will be a deadlifting war machine.

Wanted to mention I was watching some of your friend's videos on youtube (Project Goliath) with you guys in your gym and I love how in every video there's a different Megadeth, Slayer, etc song, lol. Such a nice change of pass from the top 40 shit I hear at my gym!

Thanks Gaz. I was inspired by your badass results with 5/3/1. I, too, will be a deadlifting war machine.

Wanted to mention I was watching some of your friend's videos on youtube (Project Goliath) with you guys in your gym and I love how in every video there's a different Megadeth, Slayer, etc song, lol. Such a nice change of pass from the top 40 shit I hear at my gym!

Haha, yeah. I do enjoy that about our gym. There have been a few times when i've trained to death metal and its been oh so sweet

Haven't seen Project for a while, he's on a work placement atm. Hopefully will train together soon, think he's back in town in a week or two. Have you been on the blog? Great articles and banter on there

Disclaimer: All health, fitness, diet, nutrition, anabolic steroid & supplement information posted here is intended for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended as a substitute for proper medical advice from a medical doctor. We do not condone the use of anabolic steroids (AAS), all information about AAS is for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you choose to use AAS it's your responsibility to know the laws of the country that you live in. Consult your physician or health care professional before performing any of the exercises, or following any diet, nutrition or supplement advice described on this website.

Haha, yeah. I do enjoy that about our gym. There have been a few times when i've trained to death metal and its been oh so sweet

Haven't seen Project for a while, he's on a work placement atm. Hopefully will train together soon, think he's back in town in a week or two. Have you been on the blog? Great articles and banter on there

Haven't been on it in a while, but I'll check it out today for sure.

On a side note, what would you think about running 5/3/1 on a cut? I'd like to cut again in mid- to late-May, but I wanted to use 5/3/1 for 5 mesocycles which would take me into early-July. Would reduced volume be fine you think? I'd like to not only maintain strength and size but get stronger if possible. I cut for 1 month and a half recently and my results slowed down in the last couple weeks (likely because I was over-cutting) but up until then I was getting stronger while leaning out. I figure 5/3/1 would be a great way to increase strength on a cut. Just not sure which approach would work without overdoing volume on assistance.

On a side note, what would you think about running 5/3/1 on a cut? I'd like to cut again in mid- to late-May, but I wanted to use 5/3/1 for 5 mesocycles which would take me into early-July. Would reduced volume be fine you think? I'd like to not only maintain strength and size but get stronger if possible. I cut for 1 month and a half recently and my results slowed down in the last couple weeks (likely because I was over-cutting) but up until then I was getting stronger while leaning out. I figure 5/3/1 would be a great way to increase strength on a cut. Just not sure which approach would work without overdoing volume on assistance.

I totally think it could work. Even if you just did the 5/3/1 sets and one key assistance exercise, then finish it off with a little GPP/conditioning. Could finish the session in well under an hour and be the hell outta there while covering all the bases.

Disclaimer: All health, fitness, diet, nutrition, anabolic steroid & supplement information posted here is intended for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended as a substitute for proper medical advice from a medical doctor. We do not condone the use of anabolic steroids (AAS), all information about AAS is for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you choose to use AAS it's your responsibility to know the laws of the country that you live in. Consult your physician or health care professional before performing any of the exercises, or following any diet, nutrition or supplement advice described on this website.

Diet looks well planed out Phineas, remember you said youve got a bit of ocd though lol. Thats my weakness, i just eat what i want and as much of it. Eat relatively healthy, love all my veg and not really into fast food though.

I was very happy with my squats today. My form was top notch, tempo was great, and my hip drive has clearly improved from months of analyzing my stance. I feel I could have repped 9 but one of my feet slipped out of place and I wasn't confident enough to fix my stance with the fatigue my legs were experiencing, so I racked the bar. Still, I hit my goal reps, and that's awesome.

The assistance squats felt great today. At the advice of Wendler I'm easing into the assistance weights, as my range for 50-60% on squat accessory is 125 lbs to 160 lbs. I can definitely perform all 5 sets at 160. I took a page out of Gaz's book and decided to do some ROM training. I dropped the safety bars further down and performed the deepest squats I've ever done. I was actually just about hams to calves. Felt phenominal.

Planks felt great. Didn't try and kill myself for longer times, but that's okay. I actually took a dip on my plank numbers because I just started doing them again but now with better form. I use to bridge up too high and I think I was getting unfair leverige. I'm performing them now with a neutral back. They're so much harder. Before my best was BW + 90 lbs for 3:05...now one 45 lb plate for 1 minute is giving me a run for my money. No problem. I don't need to train my ego anymore. I'd rather perform an exercise properly. Between the squats and the planks my abs will kill tomorrow.

Loving this program. I haven't been this motivated in a long time. I really like the 3 days, also. Not only do I get the rest time but when I get to the gym I feel like a starved hyenia being tauned with a huge ass sirloin.

I was very happy with my squats today. My form was top notch, tempo was great, and my hip drive has clearly improved from months of analyzing my stance. I feel I could have repped 9 but one of my feet slipped out of place and I wasn't confident enough to fix my stance with the fatigue my legs were experiencing, so I racked the bar. Still, I hit my goal reps, and that's awesome.

The assistance squats felt great today. At the advice of Wendler I'm easing into the assistance weights, as my range for 50-60% on squat accessory is 125 lbs to 160 lbs. I can definitely perform all 5 sets at 160. I took a page out of Gaz's book and decided to do some ROM training. I dropped the safety bars further down and performed the deepest squats I've ever done. I was actually just about hams to calves. Felt phenominal.

Planks felt great. Didn't try and kill myself for longer times, but that's okay. I actually took a dip on my plank numbers because I just started doing them again but now with better form. I use to bridge up too high and I think I was getting unfair leverige. I'm performing them now with a neutral back. They're so much harder. Before my best was BW + 90 lbs for 3:05...now one 45 lb plate for 1 minute is giving me a run for my money. No problem. I don't need to train my ego anymore. I'd rather perform an exercise properly. Between the squats and the planks my abs will kill tomorrow.

Loving this program. I haven't been this motivated in a long time. I really like the 3 days, also. Not only do I get the rest time but when I get to the gym I feel like a starved hyenia being tauned with a huge ass sirloin.

Topped it off with my best run of the year. Solid night of training.

Great post makes me want to go and hit the gym hard.........well if i wasnt riddled with DOMS from my last workout (im sure somebody once told me DOMS get less and less, not me lol!).
Really going through a hard time with my squat at the moment, never been good at it and much prefer deads suits my long limbs better. Every time i seem to get past 132lbs my form goes to sh*t, still get the depth but probably due to some flexibility issues i dont lean back enough in the squat and put too much pressure on the quads and it gets painfull. It got that way were i didnt do them last week and did bulgarian split squats instead, thinking about getting rid of them for unilateral leg work instead.
I did get up to 220lbs squating with a wide stance but they were probably partials if im honest!

Disclaimer: All health, fitness, diet, nutrition, anabolic steroid & supplement information posted here is intended for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended as a substitute for proper medical advice from a medical doctor. We do not condone the use of anabolic steroids (AAS), all information about AAS is for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you choose to use AAS it's your responsibility to know the laws of the country that you live in. Consult your physician or health care professional before performing any of the exercises, or following any diet, nutrition or supplement advice described on this website.

Great post makes me want to go and hit the gym hard.........well if i wasnt riddled with DOMS from my last workout (im sure somebody once told me DOMS get less and less, not me lol!).
Really going through a hard time with my squat at the moment, never been good at it and much prefer deads suits my long limbs better. Every time i seem to get past 132lbs my form goes to sh*t, still get the depth but probably due to some flexibility issues i dont lean back enough in the squat and put too much pressure on the quads and it gets painfull. It got that way were i didnt do them last week and did bulgarian split squats instead, thinking about getting rid of them for unilateral leg work instead.
I did get up to 220lbs squating with a wide stance but they were probably partials if im honest!

There's nothing wrong with ditching squats if you feel they don't suit you, though I'd urge you to take another look at your form. I had a problem with my squat for months and months. I spent countless workouts widening my stance to the point that I was about as wide as possible, but then that fucked me up even more as I found I didn't have the best leverige for my build. I'd play around with back squats as assistance maybe until you find a form that works? Just bang out some light sets somewhere in your workout, enough weight that it somewhat mimics training sets but not enough to interfere with your regular training.

Also, if you're going to use something besides back squats as your primary quad-dominant movement I'd suggest conventional barbell split squats. Next to back squats and deads, these are my favourite lower body movement. They more closely mimic a back squat than bulgarians do. While they're technically unilateral, you're other leg is used for stabalizing so you train both legs simultaneously and will develop great hip/core control. I found split squats made the difference in me learning how to effectively push myself out of the hole. If you do split squats deep and heavy then pushing from the bottom is very challenging. I find help with little sticking points is major lower body movements. Also, if you want to do submaximal loads you can, whereas on bulgarians it just doesn't really work logistically.

Thanks man. I loved the deep assistance squats. I've noticed after the last several months of working on my form and hip drive that my usual depth on squats, which is parallel or slightly below, isn't quite enough anymore. My body naturally wants to go deeper, but at my gym the next safety bar setting is too low (they make huge jumps). So, I figured in the mean time I can do the lighter assistance sets at that depth until my flexibility improves enough to handle heavier weights at that depth (just so that if I fail on a heavy set I don't crush something on the way down due to inflexibility).

Great session tonight. I was especially proud of my bench rep out because my initial goal I set at the beginning of the week was 7, but I increased it to 8 because to improve on my rep out from Week 1 (using Wendler's 1RM formula) I figured out I would need 8 reps. I actually increased all of my rep out goals by 1. That set was challenging, but I banged it out fairly quickly. The last rep was a painful one but I avoided failure this week and finished very strong. I laughed at myself though when I took the weight off after my 5 assistance bench sets and realized I added the plates wrong, lol. I meant to do 130 for the 5 sets (which would be 60% of my 10%-reduced 1RM for this mesocycle) but ended up 10 lbs less. Not like it matters, though.

Also, the transition to my assistance bench rows went a lot better this week, as I was able to do most of my sets with 85s. I did 80 on the first as a warmup sort of set. Still wanting to be back up to my usual weight, so by next week I hope to be back at 90s. Nevertheless, once I get my rep-out goal I could really care less how the rest of the workout goes.

Just got home. Going to get my food ready for work tomorrow, then go for a 5km hill run.

Rep out felt great tonight. I forgot my gym log with my workout schedule at home so I had to guess the weight for the all sets besides the rep out. Turns out I remembered most of them, but hey who cares I hit my goal reps on the rep-out.

Split Squats were very smooth tonight. Next session I'll be adding weight to them.